global warming

Running head : GLOBAL WARMING

Global Warming

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Is Global Warming an Environmental Threat

What causes global warming ? Scientists explain that gases trapped in the atmosphere create a "greenhouse effect " These gases protect life on Earth much as a greenhouse protects plants in winter

Some of the greenhouse effect is normal . Water vapor , carbon dioxide and other gases trapped in the atmosphere help keep Earth warm enough to sustain life

What worries experts is that Earth 's temperature is rising abnormally--all because of a

big increase in the amount of certain gases in the atmosphere (Agrawala 1999

Large amounts of carbon dioxide enter the atmosphere when fossil fuels such as oil and coal are burned . Because we are burning more and more fossil fuels , the amount of carbon dioxide in the air has been rising steadily . It is now 30 percent higher than it was when the Industrial Revolution began 200 years ago

Cars and power plants are the leading sources of this added carbon dioxide . That means that every time you use the family car , run the dishwasher , or turn on the TV , more carbon dioxide is released into the air (Anderson et al . 2003

The United Nations , in a report dated October 26 , said that if we stay on our current course , the average global temperature is likely to rise from 2 .7 to 11 degrees in the next century . That may not sound like much , but during the last ice age , the average temperature was only 9 degrees cooler than today . Hundreds of the world 's most respected climate scientists worked to develop this report . They said that humans have contributed substantially to global warming (Baer 1991

Is Global Warming a Myth

Not everyone agrees that global warming is real--or that an increase in carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere cause global warming

Recently , a group of scientists suggested that a possible cause of Earth 's warmer temperatures could be an increase in the sun 's heat Other scientists blame warmer temperatures on natural fluctuations in Earth 's weather patterns (Bord et al 1998

Is Global Warning a Fact

But a majority of scientists believe that global warming is a serious problem . How serious ? What you one say about global warming is that it is enough to affect the probability [chances] of having a warmer-than-normal season . But it is not enough to make every season warmer than it used to be 50 years ago (Bord et al 1998

What Has Been Done

In 1997 , delegates from 160 nations met in Kyoto , Japan , to work out a treaty to reduce global warming . The treaty set specific targets for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions . To meet the treaty 's goals , the U .S and many other countries would have to reduce their use of fossil fuels .These countries would have to spend large amounts of money to develop new technology to meet those goals . So far , only eight countries have ratified the treaty . The U...